Britain begins trade negotiations with China
- Thread starter Blackleaf
- Start date
Really? That is not the only place but thanks for letting us know where your opium comes from and now the world knows what your only export will be. You want to become a drug dealer.
Opium has had a long history in China. It was first introduced to the country by Arab traders as a medicine in the seventh or eighth century. By 1620 however, Portuguese traders off the coast of China had introduced its use as a luxury habit. But because opium was relatively rare and therefore expensive, it affected only the well-to-do, primarily young men of wealthy families, among whom it was regarded as a status symbol.
This all changed in the 1770s, when England conquered India and Burma. Britain needed large sums of money to colonise these two vast tracts of land, and opium was the answer. Taxes levied on the product brought in the much needed revenue while Britain's merchant ships carried it to the most convenient market: China.
As more and more addicts were created, Emperor Dao guang (1821-1850) of the Qing Dynasty became alarmed. He ordered that Guangdong (Canton), the only port then open to foreigners, be closed to all opium traffic. But British captains evaded the edict by smuggling opium into China with the help of local pirates. Opium presently became so widespread that by 1838, officials in Guangdong and Fujian were notifying the Imperial government that nine people out of ten in these provinces were addicts. The Emperor responded by naming as High Commissioner to Canton, a most extraordinary man, Lin Zexu. Lin was given strict orders to rid the country of opium; he took this mission seriously, and the British found his obstinate rectitude most exasperating. In a letter to Queen Victoria which was never sent, Commissioner Lin chided:
... so long as you do not take it (opium) yourselves, but continue to make it and tempt the people of China to buy it, you will be showing yourselves careful of your own lives, but careless of the lives of other people, indifferent in your greed for gain to the harm you do to others: such conduct is repugnant to human feelings ...
How China got rid of opium
It's fun stuff we should grow it in BC and southern Ontario, where's Angstrom he could use his capital to get started.
For the money the Prairies should be poppy heaven. Just tell the locals it is a Remembrance Day tribute.
Brexit makes the prospect of Britain striking a trade deal with China more likely, trade officials from both countries have said.
Xing Houyuan, an official at the state-backed Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said China was being frustrated by the EU.
But now Britain has left, he said the 'situation in Western Europe will push China and the UK to make a trade treaty,' he told the state-owned China Daily newspaper.
And British trade minister Lord Price, a former boss of Waitrose, is currently in Hong Kong where he said he is 'optimistic' about future trade deals with 'new trading markets' in the East.
China's Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang also gave a positive outlook, telling China Daily that Brexit will 'create more chances in different fields for new investment'.
The announcements came on the day Britain posted its best manufacturing figures in five years.
He predicted global currency fluctuations caused by Brexit would not do lasting damage to Chinese investments in the UK, which would not be affected in the long-term.
Contrary to claims during the referendum campaign that leaving the EU would leave Britain isolated and cut off from the global economy, the developments suggest Brexit could open up Britain to new opportunities.
A treaty with the UK could be fast-tracked after years of China being 'frustrated by the EU,' China Daily reported.
Actually, this is one of the few good things about Brexit. China will want a treaty with both the EU and the UK. Size-wise, the EU will be far more important than the UK. However, the EU is also quite protectionist. The UK appears to be more open to trade.Brexit allows China to try to put them against each other for the best trade deal. As a result, this could pressure the EU to open itself somewhat more to free trade.
That still doesn't change the fact though that unless the UK accepts free movement of people, it would be shut out from its most important trading partner. This will make the UK desperate for a trade deal, which again plays in China's favour. China is still protectionist at heart and so will be a tough negotiator. In fact, China is more protectionist than the EU in many respects, so to leave the EU for China makes no sense.